The Latest: Trump delivers primetime address to the nation
President Donald Trump addressing the nation Thursday on topics that include elections and voting machines, revisiting long-debunked conspiracy theories about his 2020 defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. The speech comes as he’s escalated his calls for Republicans to pass tighter federal voting rules ahead of November’s midterm elections.
At Trump’s last primetime presidential address in April, he said the U.S. would accomplish its Iran war objectives “very shortly.” But days of back-and-forth attacks by the U.S. and Iran across the Middle East and in the Strait of Hormuz have shredded the interim deal to pause the fighting. U.S. strikes intensified early Thursday against a widening set of targets, including a ship it accused of breaking its blockade on Iranian ports. Iran retaliated by firing on U.S. allies in the region.
Here's the latest:
Trump claims his own appointees were wrong in 2020
Trump’s vague allegations included a rant against one of his favorite targets: “members of the deep state.”
He claimed that intelligence agencies covered up China’s attempt to disrupt U.S. elections. But Trump appointed the very people who led those intelligence agencies in 2020. Indeed, Trump was given the assessment from those agencies on Jan. 7, 2021, that no foreign country tried to change vote totals or fake ballots in the election. There’s no record of him objecting to the findings at the time.
Now, of course, Trump has restocked the leadership of intelligence agencies with people who echo his often-debunked allegations about elections.
Trump says the benefits of his war with Iran will soon be realized
In his speech on election security, the president said the U.S. is “winning big in Iran and you will see the fruits of that labor very, very shortly.”
The comments come as the U.S. expanded its airstrike campaign against Iran early Friday by hitting bridges as part of a broader attack on the nation’s infrastructure to pressure Tehran to ease its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
The White House has created a new website posting documents that Trump claims reveal major ‘areas of concern’
The White House has created a new website with documents that Trump says reveal major ‘areas of concerns’ in election security.
The site went live Thursday as Trump was delivering a primetime address on foreign interference and foreign influence in U.S. elections.
Trump devotes the opening minutes of his speech to repeating campaign-style boasts
The president ran through a long list of what he said were his administration’s accomplishments – including cutting drug prices.
He avoided speaking about elections or the conflict with Iran, including new strikes.
Trump beings his speech saying America is safer, stronger and wealthier
Trump has started his primetime address saying “We are doing great.”
He’s promised he will focus on elections and may revisit some of the unproven claims he has previously made about Republican losses.
The White House has offered few concrete details on what Trump will say, insisting he could still alter his remarks up until the last minute.
But White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt promised it “will shock you.”
ABC, NBC and CNN decided not to air the remarks live. CBS said it was “airing a special report” during the address.
CBS plans special report while CNN will not air speech live
More networks revealed their plans for coverage of Trump’s speech, with CBS saying it was planning to air “a special report” at 9 p.m., anchored by Tony Dokoupil. A person familiar with the plan, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it included various scenarios, including taking the speech live, or cutting away for analysis. There would be experts on set to provide analysis and fact-checking, the person said. As for CNN, the cable network said it would not air the speech live, but would cover it “as a news event,” monitoring it for developments and providing analysis and commentary from CNN experts on elections, intelligence and the FBI. A live feed of the speech, alongside analysis and expert commentary, was being made available on CNN.com and on CNN’s All Access streaming platform.
Top Democrat on House Homeland Security panel questions vetting, training of ICE officers
The top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, is calling into question the vetting and training of ICE officers after details have emerged about the officer involved in a fatal shooting in Maine this week.
Thompson’s remarks come after The Associated Press reported that the ICE officer who shot a Colombian man in Maine is an Army veteran who has struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood, according to the officer’s relatives.
David Brouillette has a history of terrifying and violent behavior, according to those relatives. They accuse him of attacking women in his life over the years.
“This senseless tragedy must be investigated and the officer responsible should be taken off our streets and face justice for his actions,” Thompson said in a statement to AP.
AP Exclusive: ICE officer in Maine shooting has history of violent behavior, family and records say
The ICE officer who shot a Colombian man in Maine this week is an Army veteran who has struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood and never should have been given a badge and gun to patrol American streets, several of his close relatives told The Associated Press.
David Brouillette has a history of terrifying and violent behavior, according to those relatives. They accuse him of attacking women in his life over the years, and one shared a voicemail with the AP from last winter in which he told her that he thought someone should slit her throat.
Brouillette didn’t respond to text messages or an email seeking comment. Three relatives who said they spoke to him since the shooting, including an ex-wife and daughter, said he told them he acted in self-defense.
Democrats warn Trump’s intelligence officials against misleading Americans on election security
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut and Democratic lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee sent a letter to CIA Director John Ratcliffe, FBI Director Kash Patel and others ahead of the president’s primetime address.
“The President is within his authority to declassify intelligence,” the lawmakers wrote, “but if he does so in a way that is intended to mislead Americans about the most basic foundation of our democracy and that may compromise sources and methods, it is incumbent on you to stand up for the agencies you lead.”
Before any intelligence is publicly disclosed, they said, “it should be coordinated with all relevant Intelligence Community elements.”
The lawmakers said, “We remind you that you are statutorily obligated to keep the Committee fully and currently informed, a requirement that should include notification of new intelligence related to election influence or interference as well as any significant declassification.”
Hegseth backs low-altitude military flyovers as a series of maneuvers draws scrutiny
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is sticking to encouraging low-altitude military flyovers after a fighter jet buzzed a Florida beach during a show this week.
Video spreading widely on social media shows a jet from the Navy’s demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, flying so low over a crowded beach in Pensacola that chairs and tents went flying, sand kicked up and children held their hands over their ears.
The U.S. Navy said in a statement shortly afterward that it was “conducting a thorough safety review.” Then on Thursday morning, a host of Trump administration officials heaped praise on the maneuver.
“The flyovers will continue until morale improves,” Hegseth wrote on his personal X account, without elaborating.
The Pentagon’s top spokesman, Sean Parnell, wrote “Carry on Patriots” on social media alongside a photo showing a Blue Angels jet with a wingtip just feet above the heads of beachgoers.
Flyovers might not violate rules but that doesn’t make them safe
Former Transportation Department Inspector General Mary Schiavo said military planes flying low over people probably don’t violate military rules because the Pentagon doesn’t have the same restrictions that the FAA imposes on civilian flights.
“They are air demonstration teams, and what they do is exceedingly dangerous — amazing and wonderful — but dangerous,” said Schiavo, who is also a pilot and used to work in air shows years ago. “And so it is really not something to be performed over people.”
Florida beachgoer Alexandra Belcher, 34, called the Blue Angels flyover this week a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“I didn’t realize how close it was, until everyone around me was like, ‘That was so cool,’” she said. “It was not normal, but it was such a blessing to be able to witness that with everybody that I was with.”
Trump administration to drastically shorten visas for foreign journalists in US
The Trump administration will drastically shorten visas for foreign journalists in the U.S. to 240 days, down from years, and cut those for Chinese journalists to only 90 days, raising concerns over press freedom in the United States and retaliation against American journalists overseas.
The final rule announced by the Department of Homeland Security will do away with the “duration of status” system, which allows foreign journalists to stay and work in the United States as long as they meet eligibility requirements. That will be replaced with a fixed period of time, though the visas may be extended.
The agency says it’s necessary to better vet the visa holders. But advocates for foreign journalists oppose the change, saying the drastically shorter stay would severely restrict their ability to live and work in the States.
Trump media firm plans to sell high speed access to Truth Social posts
Trump’s media company is planning to charge for special high-speed access to Truth Social posts, including possibly his own affecting national security and financial markets.
The move announced Thursday would allow Wall Street trading firms and other institutions to get news from Truth Social contributors in milliseconds so they could profit off subsequent moves in stocks, bonds and interest rates. The most popular Truth Social poster is the president himself and, as the biggest shareholder of the public traded parent company, he would directly benefit.
“He’s selling expedited, privileged access to information about what he is doing as president,” said Kathleen Clark of Washington University School of Law and an expert in government conflicts of interest rules. “It’s yet more brazen corruption, an improper exploitation of government power to enrich himself.”
The Trump family company declined to comment about whether the new feature is profiting off the presidency.
GOP senator says Blanche must meet Epstein accusers to earn his vote for attorney general
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was expected to meet Thursday with accusers of Jeffrey Epstein after a key Republican senator said it was necessary to earn his support for Blanche’s nomination to lead the Justice Department.
Sen. Thom Tillis had indicated during Blanche’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday that he was leaning toward backing Blanche, who has been leading the department in an acting capacity since April.
But after an Epstein accuser testified a day later, Tillis said he expects a meeting to occur before he’s “willing to vote out of this committee.”
Without Tillis’ support, Blanche’s nomination won’t make it through the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Trump stops offshore wind development while citing national security
President Donald Trump’s administration has worked to stop offshore wind development on the grounds it’s a national security risk since late last year, halting work on major projects and buying back leases.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum says a classified report from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth proves offshore wind is a national security threat.
This comes against the backdrop of the Republican president’s hatred of wind turbines and desire to boost fossil fuels for “energy dominance” in the global market. Wind turbines interfere with radar, but that isn’t a new problem.
The Pentagon reviews wind farm construction plans and can deem areas off limits. And there are upgrades to radar to mitigate turbine impacts.
National Guard deployment to DC will last through Trump’s term
The president’s deployment of National Guard troops to the nation’s capital is being extended by more than two years and will last until the end of his term.
The Pentagon confirmed the extension in an email Thursday, stating that the “D.C. Safe and Beautiful Mission” continues to Jan. 20, 2029, “or until terminated by the President.”
The deployment has been contentious since August 2025, when Trump issued an emergency order because of what he said was out-of-control crime. The administration says crime has rapidly fallen since, although local officials have argued that crime was already going down before Trump ordered 2,500 troops into the city.
Guard members have responded to medical emergencies, assisted with arrests, helped with snow removal and carried out beautification projects.
ABC and NBC will air Trump speech on their streaming services but won’t have live network coverage
Networks had been markedly mum about their coverage plans of Trump’s address, not responding to queries.
But by late Thursday afternoon, both ABC and NBC had decided not to air the remarks live, but to carry them in full on their streaming services, and break into network coverage as needed.
ABC said it would carry the speech on ABC News Live and ABC News Radio with “comprehensive, anchored coverage,” as well as cover it in regular network newscasts. It said its Special Report team was prepared to break into network programming to deliver live updates and reporting “should significant developments occur.”
NBC said it would have live coverage on NBC News NOW and would air a special report on the network following the remarks.
At the White House briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt urged TV networks to carry the speech live.
US military launches another day of strikes on Iran
The U.S. military has begun a sixth day of strikes on Iran, a statement from U.S. Central Command announced Thursday.
The statement offered few details about what the military was targeting beyond the new wave being an effort to “further degrade Iranian military capabilities.”
However, U.S. strikes have been intensifying in recent days as the military has taken to hitting targets away from Iran’s coastal regions, including areas around Iran’s capital, Tehran, for the first time in this latest round of violence. American forces also fired into a ship it accused of trying to break its naval blockade on the Islamic Republic.
Iranian officials said Wednesday that U.S. strikes have killed more than 35 people and wounded more than 300 others.
Leavitt says ICE is still stopping vehicles after Trump opposed agents not doing so
“Vehicle stops are continuing. Verbal guidance has been given to all field offices across the country by the Department of Homeland Security,” Leavitt said.
She added that such stops “are a necessary tool that ICE agents need in order” to continue what she calls “their deportation campaign of the worst of the worst.”
Trump posted on his social media site on Wednesday that ICE agents should keep pulling over vehicles – just a day after officials said they’d be suspending most such stops.
ICE’s enforcement tactics are coming under renewed criticism after three people died during encounters with federal officers within a week.
Leavitt urges live coverage of Trump’s speech and suggests it’s still a work in progress
Under persistent questioning about the remarks set for 9 p.m. EDT, Leavitt said there’ve been discussions about Trump addressing a range of topics beyond the 2020 election, “and that could very well be possible tonight.”
“Again, this is all more reason for all of you to carry the speech live, and for the American people to tune in tonight so they can hear directly from the American president and draw their own conclusions,” she said.
It remains unclear how television networks will handle the speech.
Leavitt won’t say whether Trump will accept midterm results; Vance says administration will
Leavitt declined to answer when asked if Trump’s upcoming speech on “election integrity” meant the president might not be willing to accept the results of November’s midterms.
But Vance was far more definitive.
Asked by reporters on Capitol Hill on Wednesday about November, Vance said, “Of course we’re gonna support the results of the midterm elections.”
“We think we’re going to win. But ultimately that’s up to the American people,” the vice president said then. “But we also think we have to do everything that we can to discourage cheating.”
Trump and Vance have jointly pushed for approval of the Save Act, which is stalled in Congress. Even if it were to pass, however, the proposal wouldn’t affect the midterms.